In its submission to a Government consultation on
agricultural research and technology today, GeneWatch UK argues that decisions
on what research to fund should be more open and accountable (1). GeneWatch
also highlights that lobbying by the Agricultural Biotechnology Council, which
represents the major GM crop companies, has led to an agreement in which taxpayer-funded
researchers promote the industry's agenda to try to encourage more rapid
approval of the companies' GM crops in the EU (2). As a result, UK
taxpayer-funded research institutions are acting as the PR wing of the large
multinational companies which market GM seeds. They are paid not to produce
anything useful but to go on the media and claim that they will produce
something useful using GM at some point in the future: and that therefore GM
regulations must be weakened and retailers must put GM foods back on their
shelves.

"Agricultural research
is critical to tackling many problems that we face in Britain and around the
world" said GeneWatch UK's Director, Dr Helen Wallace, "These decisions are too important to be made
in dodgy deals behind closed doors. Taxpayers' money should not be wasted on
unfulfilled promises and hype about GM, rather than accepting reality and
funding things that work. We need research that helps farmers and consumers and
provides genuine solutions to problems with our food supply, environment and
diets."

GeneWatch's response to the BIS consultation warns against
misallocating resources to unrealistic GM projects and highlights the
opportunity costs associated with investing taxpayers' money in research that
is unlikely to deliver on its promises.

The agricultural industry has made its own submission to the
consultation and is inviting comments on it (3). The industry has held
workshops with producers to help inform its proposed research priorities but
has not included the wider public who fund most of the research.